Sunday, 8 December 2013

Bioplastics

- Bioplastics help to reduce our impact on the planet, as they are plant-based rather than oil-based, like typical plastics. This helps to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels.

- Bioplastics can be made from corn, sugar cane, potatoes, tapioca and algae.

- They are biodegradable, compostable or fully recyclable. Since they are not made by using petroleum and other fossil fuels, they offer a reduced carbon footprint and a reduced use of fossil resources.

- European Bioplastics say that bioplastics can be used for packaging, service ware, automotive parts, electronic consumer goods and many more applications where conventional plastics are used.

- In 2011, 1.2 million tonnes of bioplastics were being produced per year, compared to 280 million tonnes of total plastic production. Bioplastics are still fairly new and are only beginning to penetrate the market.

- Coca Cola has started to use “Plantbottle”, which is made from 30% of bioplastics. According to their informational video, in the first year that they produced these products, they distributed over 18 billion Plantbottle's in more than 25 countries. Coca Cola wants to use bioplastics in all of their bottles by 2020. So far, they saved using approximately 60,000 barrels of oil by incorporating bioplastics into their design. 
 

- Bioplastics don't rust like metals, which could be useful for paint containers.

- According to the 2013 Eurobarometer survey, about 80% of European consumers want to buy products that have a minimal impact on the environment - bioplastics offer a great solution.

- Bioplastics are rarely used to contain paints, yet I found one strong example that has been created by the paint brand Tollens. The paint they created is plant-based, so they felt it appropriate to also use a plant-based container. Léon Mentink, product manager at Roquette, says that this packaging, “Can be used to replace the fossil-based raw material normally used for plastics... among the environmental benefits is the reduction of the carbon footprint by 65 per cent compared to polypropylene, as certified by the accountancy and consultancy company PwC.”


Personal Thoughts:
Bioplastics are quite obviously beneficial and, as seen above, can be used to contain paint. However, when thinking about my target audience I fear that they would not suit. Bioplastic containers do not look premium like metal ones and I fear this could put the audience off a purchase. They lack the sophistication that comes with the metal container. The client also expressed his distaste that the container should be transparent and many bioplastics come in this format, even if not all of them do.

References:
http://www.coca-colacompany.com/

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